The City of Seattle is committed to protecting our city roof. Trees add value to your property and the surrounding community. The canopy is an important measure of the health of the city forest. Urban trees provide numerous environmental, economic, and social benefits, including habitat for wildlife, quality of life in neighborhoods, and improved public health outcomes.
The City Council passed Bill 120207, which requires 1) tree care contractors to register with the City of Seattle before conducting commercial tree work and consultations on private property, and 2) property owners before onsite construction work beyond routine maintenance to make a public announcement. The Register of Tree Care Providers will be open to the public so owners, residents and neighbors can be assured that a registered company knowledgeable of tree regulations and best practices is carrying out work in their neighborhood.
An arborist is any business that removes or tends trees on private property. Your company must register if these activities are part of your duties, or you may have to hire a registered company to carry out these duties. For example, if tree removal is part of a demolition contract, the company hired to clear all trees larger than 6 inches in diameter (standard height) must be registered.
Tree Service Provider Registration Requirements
The Seattle Department of Construction and Inspection (SDCI) launched a new registry for tree service providers on August 26, 2022. The SDCI Trees and Codes webpage has been updated with registration requirements. SDCI will publish a directory of registered tree contractors authorized to undertake tree work beyond routine maintenance Private property in Seattle to this page.
- Beginning August 26, tree service providers should create an account and register with SDCI on the Seattle Services Portal.
- All tree contractors performing*** tree removal*, major pruning**, or consulting services in Seattle must register by November 10, 2022.
- Tree service providers must commit to complying with the tree protection provisions of Seattle Municipal Code 25.11, Director’s Rule 16-2008, and ANSI A-300 standards (or any successor standard).
- Failure to register or two notifications of violations will disqualify tree care contractors from doing business in Seattle.
- Please note that the SDCI register for tree service providers covers work on private property and is distinct from the SDOT register for tree service providers, which covers work carried out on public rights of way. You must register for each one individually; You can find links to these on the Seattle Services Portal.
*Removal of all trees larger than 15 cm in diameter.
**Major pruning work for any tree on private property. A larger tree trimming will remove branches or roots 2 inches or more in diameter or more than 15% of the tree canopy. You do not need to be registered to perform other routine pruning and maintenance jobs.
***Carrying out tree assessments for an arborist report.
Requirements for real estate owners
- From November 11th, you must hire one registered Tree care service provider who will do most of the tree work on your property. The list of registered vendors will be available on the SDCI Trees and Codes website in October.
- Beginning November 11, property owners must post a public notice of the pruning or removal of trees on their property at least three days before work by a tree care contractor begins. To create the public notice, you must fill out the form that will be available on the Seattle Services Portal in October.
- Property owners who perform routine pruning and maintenance work on their property are not required to register or post a notice.
A new draft of Directors Rule 8-2022 was released on September 19 to help clarify the new legislation. A new tip to help applicants navigate the registration and public disclosure processes will be released shortly.
To give you a better understanding of registration requirements, property owner responsibilities and Seattle Tree Codes, SDCI will be hosting another informational webinar in late October – details to follow! A recorded version of the informational webinar will also be posted on the SDCI Trees and Codes website.
If you have questions about tree care requirements or would like to be notified of upcoming webinars, submit a request through SDCI’s online service. To ensure your query goes to the right place, please indicate that you need help with ‘Permits, Codes, Zones, Plans’. Then select “Land Use” as the type of help needed, followed by “Trees” in the description field. Be sure to enter your email address in the form to be kept up to date with the implementation of the tree service provider directory.
buildingconnections.seattle.gov
https://buildingconnections.seattle.gov/2022/09/30/4747/
